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Superstitions: Richard

In the alliterative poem of Richard of Maidstone on the deposition of King Richard the Second (preserved among the Digby Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.), we find the virtues of precious stones thus described. The monarch was-- "Crouned with a croune, that Kyng under hevene Might not a better have boute as I trowe; So ffull was it ffilled with vertuous stones, With perlis of prise to punnysshe the wrongis, With rubies rede the right for to deme, With gemmes and juellis joyned to-gedir, And pees amonge the peple ffor peyne of thi lawis, It was ffull goodeliche y-grave with gold al aboute; The braunchis above boren grett chanre; With diamauntis derne y-dountid of all That wroute ony wrake within or withoute; With lewte and love y-loke to thi peeris, And sapheris swete that soughte all wrongis, Y-poudride wyth pete ther it be oughte, And traylid with trouthe, and trefle al aboute, Ffor ony cristen Kynge a croune well y-makyd."